Grandchild
by NachtcGleiskette
Summary: The PG-13 is a just in case. AU With the Brotherhood gone, Magneto and Mystique return after a decade away. And learn of a powerful young mutant who may be able to bring thier dream back together. I need help!
1. Default Chapter

Ok, this is my first fic, so please be gentle..I guess you can consider it an X men/Exiles crossover, I dunno. But read, and enjoy, and leave feedback! This is my own little universe I have created in this fic, so don't expect it to go along with the comics..  
  
Disclaimer: I own a car. I own a shirt. I even own a little Evo Kurt action figure..but I do not own X men.  
  
He stared out over the hills awaiting her return. It had been four hours since she had left, and he would have gone too. But he couldn't. He had been gone too long, they both had. And he knew she would have an easier time with it, an easier time not being noticed. I mean, she could become whatever she wanted, and blend in so easily. Right now, he wished he could too.  
  
It had been almost a decade since he had last seen them. Eight, or was it nine years? He had lost track. He hadn't seen them since that day. That awful day when they had turned their backs on him, and joined the other side. They all did, the entire Brotherhood. But none of it hurt as much as his children. He hated seeing his kids leave him to work for that son of a bitch Xavier. But they did. And all was lost. He and Mystique were left with no one, no Allies, and had escaped to Europe to try and sort things out. To try and get the Brotherhood back on its feet.  
  
But right now, it didn't matter. While he still cared for his cause, and wanted to see the Brotherhood return, all he really wanted was to see his children. Mystique felt the same way. That was why she had gone. To check up on them. Just to make sure they were ok. After his years of neglect, he now felt the father in him emerge. He really did love them. But he couldn't show it. Not after everything. And especially not after they became X men.  
  
A black raven flew in the window and landed on the bed post. Soon its shape shifted into that of a full grown woman. She looked at him with a hint of.something.in her eyes.  
  
"Did you see them?" he asked, with a bit more excitement in his voice than he would have liked to convey.  
  
"I did, Erik" She replied. "And it seems that you and me have a bit more than the unrequited love for our children in common."  
  
He looked at her, confusion on his face. "What is that?"  
  
"A granddaughter."  
  
  
  
Ok, that's just a start....leave reviews!! I don't know when I'll finish this or even continue, this first part took weeks!! Anywho, hope you liked it! 


	2. Talia

Ok, I hated this chapter the way it was before. I felt like it was rushed and it needs more backround and more characters! i mean, how many people live in the institute, and I only mention four of them? Geez. So, here's the new chapter.  
  
Disclaimer: L  
  
Talia Josephine Wagner was a princess. Not in the literal way, like her Aunty Amara, but still she was. As the youngest inhabitant of the institute, and the daughter of two well loved X men, she was everyone's little princess. But today, she was even more of a princess. Because today was her sixth birthday.  
  
She watched with hardly subdued excitement as decorations went up around the mansion and the adults busied themselves in preparation. She saw a stack of gifts on the table in the far corner growing larger by the minute, and couldn't help but get curious. She wandered over to the table and tried to pick up one of the larger ones. Oof! It was heavy! But she managed to get it to the floor. She wondered what it could possibly be. Just one peek wouldn't hurt, would it? Just one peek.  
  
"Talia! Put that down!" Her mother walked in from the kitchen. "No gifts until after cake, you know the rules."  
  
"I know, Mommy, but it looks so cool!" she responded, hoping to get her mother's sympathy. She just wanted one peek.  
  
"I know it looks cool sweetie, but not until tonight, ok? Now, I think that your Uncle Jamie was looking for you. Why don't you run off and find him?"  
  
"Ok Mommy!"  
  
Wanda watched as her little girl ran off in search of Jamie. She couldn't believe it had been six years. Six entire years had passed since she had brought that little angel into this world. And the funny thing was, it felt like it was yesterday. Wanda had never thought of herself as the type to become a mother. Hell, she'd never thought of herself as the type to even fall in love. But it all changed when she had met Kurt. There was just something about him that drew her to him. It started out as a simple friendship. They both hated their birth parents, and found a strange camaraderie in that. But he could do something that most other people could not. He could make her laugh. Years of being locked away had hardened her, and she doubted she'd ever be able to feel good again. But he could make her feel happy, and she loved him for that. She remembered when they first started dating, no one knew what to make of it. Pietro thought she was insane. But they didn't care. They truly loved each other and that was all that mattered. Most inhabitants of the institute thought it was a passing thing. They'd go out for a while and then both finally come to their senses. That is, until Wanda found out she was pregnant. Kurt proposed on the spot when he found out, but she turned him down. It wasn't that she didn't want to, but it all of this commitment scared her. They still hadn't married to this day, but they lived together as if they were. But what scared her more than marriage was the thought of becoming a mother. She didn't think she could do it. In fact, she knew she couldn't do it. And as the months passed, she grew more and more terrified. But finally the day came, and the moment she held her little T.J. in her arms, she knew that everything would be ok.  
  
And now, here she was, preparing for her daughters sixth birthday. She walked back into the kitchen where Kitty was putting a few finishing touches on a pink cake. Kurt walked in the kitchen from the backyard then, tugging a bunch of balloons behind him.  
  
"Where are we putting these, liebe?" He asked, trying to keep the monster balloon bouquet together. He looked completely worn out already, and his fur was all standing on end.  
  
"Here, I'll take 'em inside Elf" Logan offered, from where he was sitting at the table.  
  
Wanda walked over and offered a kiss to her boyfriend. But she was rewarded with a mild static shock. "Ow!"  
  
"Ooo..sorry." Kurt backed away from her a bit.  
  
"What happened to you? Why'd it take so long to get a few balloons?"  
  
"It was a nightmare! They didn't have the order that Kitty called in yesterday, so they didn't have anything ready. And on the way back, I lost two of them while loading them into the car, and while driving home, they kept coming up to the front with me and rubbing up against me, so.."  
  
"You mean, you're, like, a big furry ball of static?" Kitty said, trying to stifle her laughter.  
  
"My poor baby," Wanda said, before she too began to giggle.  
  
The two women then collapsed in hysterics, while Kurt looked on at them, quite obviously humiliated.  
  
"Ok, thats it, I'm leaving! I don't have to take this!" Kurt said with a huff, and walked out of the kitchen.  
  
"Oh, Kurt!!" Kitty called after him, still chuckling. "Now I feel bad."  
  
"Please, he'll get over it." Wanda replied, her giggles settling down.  
  
The women got back to thier work, barely noticing as Lance walked in from the backyard.  
  
"Ok, Wanda, I figured out those damn outdoor speakers. They should be working now."  
  
"Thanks Lance."  
  
Kitty walked over and wrapped her arms around her fiance. "You are so hot when you're hooking up speakers."  
  
"Jesus, Kit, you say that about everything I do." She pulled his head down into a long, passionate kiss.  
  
"Oh, man, get a room you two." Pietro entered the kitchen, his giggling niece bouncing on his shoulders.  
  
"Hey birthday girl!" Lance walked over and pulled Talia down into his arms. "Are you excited?"  
  
"Is that my cake?" Excitement glazed over her yellow eyes as she wriggled free of Uncle Lance's grasp.  
  
"Yes it is, sweetie," Wanda chimed. She turned to see her daughter pulling a gob of pink icing onto her finger. "Talia Josephine!"  
  
She looked up at her mother with her well practiced puppy dog face. It always worked on Daddy, but, Mommy was a bit wiser to her schemes.  
  
Wanda pulled the cake out of her reach. "You can have some later. But for now, keep those fingers away!"  
  
"Come on, T.J., lets go play outside and let Mommy finish up in here," Pietro said has he picked her back up onto his shoulders.  
  
"Giddy up!" she giggled as she wrapped her arms around his neck.  
  
"We're going to go and, check something out upstairs," Kitty said as she led Lance out of the kitchen.  
  
Wanda sighed and looked around. There was still quite a bit to do, but nothing she couldn't handle. Talia's birthday parties seemed to get more extravagant every year. Wanda loved planning them though. Sometimes she felt like she was subconsciously planning them so big to make up for the fact that her daughter couldnt grow up as a normal child. It killed Wanda that she couldn't send Talia to normal school, or allow her to play with normal children. With the attitude towards mutants lately, she barely lets Talia off the institutes grounds. Last year for her birthday, Xavier had given Talia an image inducer, which calmed Wanda's nerves a bit. But she hated the idea of the inducer. She didnt want her daughter to become dependent on it. Talia was a beautiful child, blue skin and all, and Wanda would not tolerate those who could not see that.  
  
At that moment, a very weary and slightly pregnant Jean Grey Summers made her way into the kitchen. "I swear, Wanda, Talia is the luckiest kid alive! I have never seen so many gifts!"  
  
Wanda chuckled. "Well, you just wait. Your little one will be getting the same attention. This is how children's birthdays are celebrated here at the institute."  
  
"Yeah, well, I tell you, I am looking foward to this kids birthday. This pregnancy is wearing me out!"  
  
Wanda sat down at the table beside her. "Have you found out the sex yet?"  
  
"No, we decided to wait. But we have names picked out for either way. Nathan if its a boy, and Rachel if its a girl."  
  
Kurt walked in and sat down putting his arm around Wanda. "Hey, Jean, how're you feeling?"  
  
"Same way I always feel, slightly nauseous, excuse me." She got up from the table and made her way to the bathroom.  
  
"I see you have de-electrified yourself." Wanda ran her fingers through the fur on his arm. She pulled him close to her and they kissed. Only to be interupted by the phone. Kurt ran over and picked it up.  
  
"Evan! How are you! Ja? Oh that is excellent! Talia will be so happy! Ja, see you soon then." He hung up the phone. "Guess what, liebe?" Kurt sat back down next to Wanda. "That was Evan on the phone. He, Laura and Jake will be coming to the party later on."  
  
"Excellent! I was hoping they'd be able to make it, Talia's missed Jake." Evan was no longer living in the mansion. He had left years ago and found minor success filming such events as the X games and other biking/boarding games. During all this he had met Laura. She was very accepting to his mutant abilities and they were married only a year after meeting. Jake was thier five year old son, and the only friend Talia had her age.  
  
"Can you believe it Kurt? Six years? Jeez, she's growing up so fast!"  
  
"I know. But we still have many more years to watch her grow. Our wenig engel."  
  
  
  
  
  
It was a wonderful party. A party every six year old could dream of, complete with pony rides. Talia was a good girl, and waited until after the cake to open her presents. And she whipped through them like a tornado. She ran around thanking all of her aunts and uncles, then made haste in ripping toys open and playing with Jake. The party had winded down now, many adults retiring to thier rooms for the night. After all, most of them had classes to teach in the morning. Wanda was fast asleep on the couch and Talia lay asleep in the mountains of leftover wrapping paper.  
  
"I guess its someone's bedtime, ja?" Kurt said, as he picked his daughter up into his arms. She stirred a little and fell back asleep quickly. He brought her up to her room and tucked her into bed, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight, mien schatz." he said as he turned to leave. But something in the window caught his eye. He walked over to peer outside and watched as an golden-eyed raven flew away.  
  
  
  
Ok, chapter two done! I think I like this more than the other one. Ok, at this point, I have no clue where to go from here. So it may be quite a while before I post again. Also, as I mentioned in the reviews, I'm going to Germany in a few weeks, (YAY!!) and its doubtful I'll post anything new before I leave. Anywho, hope you enjoyed, and please review!!  
  
PS: To tie up any loose ends for anyone unfamiliar with TJ: I didnt want to go too into her appearance here, I just couldn't make it sound right anywhere that I tried to write it in. So I'll explain her here, for anyone who doesn't already know her. She is blue, but (to my understanding) does not have fur. She has the same feet, hands, and ears as her father, but no tail. (she's been drawn both ways, but I prefer her without the tail.). Oh, and about the institute, it is now a school for mutants. Classes are held there for younger mutants and they are taught by the elders (Kitty, Lance, Kurt, Scott, etc.). Hope this clears up any questions! 


	3. Gone

Ok, writers block seems to have subsided a bit. So I continue.  
  
Thanx to all my reviewers!! Contradiction: that's exactly where I was planning this story to go! But its just getting there that's difficult.  
  
Disclaimer: My Evo Kurt's head turns blue in water...  
  
Talia ran around the institutes backyard doing somersaults and cartwheels and a plethora of naïve acrobatics. Her father and Uncle Bobby were putting together a little club house, a gift from her parents.  
  
"Ach, if I had known this would be so difficult, I would have bought her that damn pony she's been asking for," Kurt joked, as he stared at the instructions.  
  
"Ok, according to this, we put this thing into this thing, and then....I have no idea." Bobby threw the pieces he was holding in frustration.  
  
Logan walked out of the institute, brandishing three beers. "I figured you guys could use a break, huh?"  
  
"God, you have no idea Logan." Bobby said, grabbing one of the bottles and collapsing into a lawn chair.  
  
Logan bent down to where Kurt was sitting puzzling the instructions. He handed him the beer. "Thanks." He opened the bottle and took a long swig. He then got up and joined Bobby in an adjacent chair. "I don't think I'm ever going to figure that verdammit thing out."  
  
Logan picked the instructions up and raised an eyebrow. "I don't think I can help you here, Elf."  
  
"Daddy! Is it done yet?" Talia, noticing that her father and uncle had stopped working, ran over to him.  
  
"Not yet, baby, we're taking a break."  
  
Talia climbed up into her father's lap and cuddled up against him. Kurt planted a kiss on his little girl's head.  
  
"Are we all done already?" Wanda asked as she walked into the backyard with Rogue. "I have to say, honey, it doesn't look anything like the box."  
  
"We're taking a break," Talia informed her mother.  
  
"A break? You guys need a break from assembling a children's toy?" Rogue asked with a smirk on her face.  
  
"Are you kidding? That thing is impossible!" Bobby answered, putting his head back onto the chair.  
  
"And to think, I had so much faith in you," Wanda put her hand on Kurt's shoulder.  
  
"It doesn't look that hard," Rogue said, picking up the directions. "Look, you just take this blue piece here, and connect it to that yellow piece there." She put the two pieces together.  
  
Wanda looked over Rogue's shoulder at the instructions. "And then that connects to the pink pieces over here." Within minutes the two women had accomplished what Kurt and Bobby had been working on all morning.  
  
The men just stared in awe. "I guess it's that extra half a chromosome," Rogue joked as she walked back into the institute. Talia jumped down from her fathers lap and ran into her new playhouse.  
  
"Why don't you boys go get cleaned up," Wanda said, as she followed Rogue back inside. Logan chuckled as Kurt and Bobby just bowed their heads in shame and followed Wanda.  
  
"Now you be good, munchkin. Don't go making any trouble," Logan warned Talia as he followed the others.  
  
"I won't, Uncle Logan!" she said as she started to move some of her dolls into her new little house.  
  
  
  
Mystique had watched this all unfold from her perch in a nearby tree. It had touched her watching her son interact the way he did with Talia. They way she cuddled right up to him like that. It reminded Mystique of everything she had missed out on in her life. Which made what she had to do all the more difficult.  
  
Mystique had been a terrible mother. It wasn't that she didn't love her children, it was that she didn't know how to show them her love. How many times she had wished she could go back all those years and redo everything. But it was impossible. She had made her bed, now she had to lay in it. Another thing Mystique never quite knew how to do was prioritize. If she did, she would have never agreed with Magneto. She knew how much this was going to hurt her son, but she knew that it was for the greater good. Or Magneto had convinced her it was. But part of her just saw this as a way to redeem herself as a mother, or in this case grandmother. She had to do it. She had no choice. It was the right thing to do. It was the only thing that made sense. Mystique shifted her form once again to a small animal that might be found more intriguing by a six year old and climbed down the tree.  
  
  
  
"Barbie is very sick, and Ken needs to find the doctor!" Talia put her Ken into the little corvette and drove it off a little table in her play house. "Oh no! Ken's dead! How will Barbie get better now?" She continued playing and didn't even notice as a chipmunk jumped in through the little window. "Oh no! Now Barbie's falling off the cliff! Ahhhhhhhh!!!" Talia dropped her Barbie, and then noticed the little creature.  
  
"Hi!" she said. It stared at her with its big eyes. She bent down to pet it. But it backed away. "I'm not gonna hurt you!" She pushed her little hand out to it, and the chipmunk ran for the door.  
  
Talia began to chase the little chipmunk all over the property. She followed it all the way into a wooded part of the institute. She ran through the trees, giggling as she chased her new friend. She lost sight of the chipmunk, though, as she ran right into a tall, dark woman.  
  
  
  
Rogue walked out into the yard. She spotted the playhouse, and decided to sneak up on her little niece. She tiptoed over until "Boo!" she peered through the window. No one seemed to be home. She jumped as she pulled her head out to see Pietro standing right beside her.  
  
"Jeez, you scared me!" she said, catching her breath.  
  
"Sorry, Wanda just asked me to come out and get T.J."  
  
"Oh, well, she's not in there." Rogue thought for a second. "She must be inside, somewhere. I coulda sworn she was out here, though."  
  
"Hm, I'll check around inside." Pietro sped off back into the institute.  
  
Rogue looked around. This was weird. It wasn't like her niece to just disappear. She knew better than that. She had been lectured about that many times in her six short years at the institute. She knew that she was to inform an adult whenever she was going somewhere.  
  
With a 'BAMF' Kurt was standing beside her. "Mien Gott, never ask Pietro for a favor. He was supposed to come out here and get Talia."  
  
"He did, but she's not out here. He went to look around inside." "What do you mean she's not out here?" Kurt's voice became full of dread. She had to be out here. This is where they had left her. She knew she wasn't allowed to wander off.  
  
Pietro then reappeared. "She's not inside."  
  
Kurt's heart dropped. Where was she? This is not good, not good at all. There had been many threats to the institute lately, could this be..'no, no, it's not. It can't be. Don't think like that!' he thought to himself, shaking the thought out of his head.  
  
"Jeez, guys, did you forget or something?" Wanda said as she joined them all outside. Then she saw the expression on her boyfriend's face. "Where's Talia?"  
  
Pietro walked over to his sister. "We..don't know."  
  
  
  
The entire institute was turned upside down. Everyone was looking. But they couldn't find her anywhere. Wanda felt sick. She had never been so worried in her life. She knew her daughter. She knew that Talia hadn't just run off somewhere. Talia knew better. Someone had to have taken her. At that thought, she buried her face into Kurt's shoulder and just began to cry. It took a lot to make Wanda cry, but the thought of her daughter being in any kind of danger scared the living daylights out of her. Kurt tried to comfort her, but he was having a hard time keeping his composure himself. Who could have done this? Who would want to bring harm to his little girl? His wenig engel. They had searched the institutes grounds, and found nothing.  
  
Rahne had offered her services and was able to track Talia as far as the far west end of the property, a small wooded patch of land. But that was it, she lost the scent there. Logan, though, was able to pick up another scent. One all too familiar.  
  
"Mystique"  
  
  
  
There you have it, chapter 3! Jeez, I talk about my writers block, then end up pumping these chapters out like nothing! Hope yall enjoyed!! Me likie reviews!  
  
BTW: As you have noticed, I'm not typing accents. You all know how they sound, so I'm just not gonna go to all the trouble. It's just annoying... 


	4. Waiting

I love my reviewers!! And also love to see that I'm not the only one whose had trouble assembling toys. I swear, the directions could not be more vague, and in one case, there WERE no directions, just really abstract pictures with numbers.  
  
Jesse, I'm sorry. There is no Rietro planned for this fic. ( I hope its not too disappointing. There's still lots of other cool things that're going to happen!  
  
Disclaimer: "There ain't no carnival in the damn freezer! It's a freezer!"  
  
Kurt was not a violent man. He never had felt the urge to kill. But he wanted to rip his dear mother apart. Kurt was worried when he found his daughter to be missing, but when he was told that Mystique may have been involved, he was just enraged. And it was an anger he had never felt before.  
  
He paced his bedroom, tail swishing agitatedly. What was he doing here? He should be out trying to find his child. But the Professor had told them to wait. He was using Cerebro to try and find Mystique, find where she was taking Talia. While Kurt didn't like the idea of waiting, he didn't know what else to do. He didn't know where to even start looking for her. And, even though he hated that Mystique had his little girl, he was somewhat relieved. He knew Mystique would never hurt her.  
  
Wanda came back from the bathroom and brushed by Kurt as she fell into the bed. She barely even registered that he was in the room with her. She just lay in the bed silently. He walked over and tried to comfort her, but she shrugged his arms away. So he just sat silently on the bed next to her. Finally, after what seemed like a lifetime, she spoke.  
  
"Where the hell were you?"  
  
He was taken aback by this. Kurt, of course, blamed himself partially for this happening, but Wanda blamed him too? If he had known something like this could have happened, he'd have never left Talia's side. But no one could expect this. The mansion's perimeters were nearly impenetrable. The only way to safely get in was through the front gate. And there were so many people always about that it seemed impossible that this had happened. But it had.  
  
Kurt looked back towards Wanda. She was still turned away from him, but he knew she was waiting for an answer. "Wanda...I." he had nothing to say. What could he say? He had lost their child.  
  
"Just leave me alone, Kurt."  
  
This really hurt him. He wanted nothing more than to be with her right now, and try and figure everything out together. But he loved her enough to respect her wishes. He got up from the bed and left the room, before breaking down in sobs.  
  
Wanda could hear him crying outside the door from where she lay. She didn't know why she said that. She really didn't blame him. She loved him. She loved him so much, and look at how she had hurt him. She had forgotten that she wasn't the only one who lost a child, Talia was his too.  
  
But why wasn't he there? Why didn't he stop this from happening? Maybe she did blame him. After all, it was his mother who had taken her. 'No, don't do that,' she thought. 'Do not think like that. It's not his fault. It's yours.'  
  
Wanda thought about it. Where was she? Why hadn't she seen this happening and stopped it? She thought through her day. It all seemed a blur to her now. But she remembered. She had gone to see Beast today. For a small check up. She began to cry. This wasn't what she had planned for tonight. This wasn't how everything was supposed to happen. She was going to share her news tonight. She was going to tell Kurt that they were going to have another baby.  
  
But she shoved all that into the back of her mind. None of that was important now. What was most important was finding her first baby. What was taking the Professor so long with Cerebro? She hated waiting. She didn't want to wait anymore. All she wanted to do was hold her daughter again, and she was willing to go to any means necessary to do it. She would kill her. She knew it. When she saw Mystique, she would kill her. Wanda felt a bolt running through her arms and to the tips of her fingers. Before she could stop it, a Hex bolt had been sent toward the doorway, blasting the door off its hinges. Wanda drew her hand to her face and felt her eyes tearing again.  
  
"Wanda?" Rogue entered, stepping over the broken door.  
  
"Please, Rogue," Wanda spoke slowly. "Just leave."  
  
Rogue sat down next to her. "We'll find her, you know. She'll be fine."  
  
Wanda didn't answer. Rogue just was at a loss for words. She could say that all she wanted, but she knew it wouldn't help any. It hadn't helped when she said the same thing to her sobbing brother about ten minutes ago. But she had to say something. If it didn't help Wanda or Kurt feel better, maybe it made her feel better. She put her hand on Wanda's shoulder. Wanda just lay there. She didn't move, she didn't speak. She just lay still.  
  
Rogue barely noticed when Scott had walked in.  
  
"Rogue? Wanda? Are you ok?"  
  
Wanda scoffed at the question, but chose not to answer. Rogue just looked up at Scott. "We're fine. Has Kurt calmed down?"  
  
"Yeah, he's a bit better now. But I came up here to get you both. The Professor has been able to track down Mystique. She's hiding out with Magneto somewhere on the other side of town. The Professor want us all to meet him downstairs."  
  
At the sound of her father's name, Wanda leapt out of the bed. She could feel the anger coarse through her body and before she could stop it, she had released another bolt, this one aimed right above Scott's head. Scott whimpered a bit at his close call, and backed toward the door slowly.  
  
  
  
So there we have, Chapter 4...this is where things may start coming a bit slower. I really do KNOW what will happen next, but don't exactly know HOW it'll all happen. That's basically my problem. So, read, enjoy, leave feedback..and hopefully I'll have another chapter up shortly! 


	5. Trust

Ugh.I'm siiiiick.so what better time to work on my Fan fiction! This chapter.I don't know about this chapter. Let's just see.  
  
Disclaimer: "It's not a toy! It makes real cupcakes! With a 40 watt bulb! And there's icing packets! But the secret ingredient is Love! Damn it!"  
  
  
  
She cowered away from them in the corner, whimpering. At least she wasn't crying anymore. Eric hated hearing her cry. He didn't want her to be scared of him. He was her grandfather, for gods sakes. But she refused to go near either of them. She just sat in the corner, not looking at either of them.  
  
"Talia," Magneto tried.  
  
She began to cry again at hearing her name. She had no idea where she was. And she didn't know who the blue lady and the man with the white hair were. But she knew that they were strangers, and she wasn't supposed to talk to strangers. Mommy and Daddy always told her that. She was so scared.  
  
Mystique and Magneto were at a loss. They didn't know how to handle a crying child. Mystique tried to move closer to her, but she just cried louder. After a while she calmed down again. She looked at her captors with sad, watery eyes.  
  
"I want my Mommy and Daddy," she told them.  
  
They looked at each other. "Um, well, you'll see them, eventually," Mystique told her.  
  
This obviously wasn't good enough. She began to cry a bit again, but not as hard as before. She was losing her energy. Mystique pulled Magneto aside.  
  
"Whatever your master plan is, Eric, I don't think it's working." She looked at Talia. "And I don't think I can take much more of this crying," she said sadly. She didn't like putting this small child through such an awful ordeal.  
  
"Don't worry, Raven. It will. We just have to give her time." He looked over at his granddaughter. He felt terrible as well. She was such a beautiful, perfect little child. "As upsetting as it is to see her like this, she is wasted with her parents. She is exactly what we need. When her powers manifest, they will be incredibly strong. And if she is raised correctly, she will prove an important ally."  
  
Talia wasn't crying anymore. She knew it wouldn't help any. She just sat in the corner now, staring at the two adults as they talked to each other. She studied them. The lady had blue skin, just like her. She was very tall, and had really red hair. She was the one who had brought Talia here. And the man, well, the man kind of looked like her Uncle Pietro, but a lot older, and not as nice.  
  
Magneto and Mystique had noticed the silence, and looked over at their little kidnapee. She was just looking at them. This was strange. At least she wasn't crying anymore.  
  
"Talia?" Magneto tried again. "Um, are you feeling better now?"  
  
She just looked at them.  
  
"Did you hear me? Are you ok?" he tried again.  
  
Again, she just stared.  
  
Magneto looked at Mystique. "What's wrong with her? Does she have a problem with her hearing?"  
  
"I'm not supposed to talk to you." T.J. sat there, with her arms crossed in front of her.  
  
'What does that mean?' Mystique thought. She doesn't even know who they are, how would she know whether or not she was allowed to talk to them? "Who told you that?" she asked.  
  
"My Mommy and Daddy," Talia told them. "You're strangers. And I'm not allowed to talk to strangers."  
  
Magneto chuckled a bit at this. She was a smart little kid. He felt a type of grandfatherly pride. But he was smarter, and how tough would it be to outsmart a six year old?  
  
"We're not strangers, Talia," he told her, bending down to eye level.  
  
"Yes you are, I never seen you before."  
  
"Well, yes, we've never seen each other, but that doesn't mean we're strangers." He reached out to brush his hand against her arm, but she backed herself further into the corner. "And you don't need to be frightened of us. We're not going to hurt you."  
  
Talia thought about this for a while. She looked up at them again. Maybe they were right. She sighed. "I miss my Mommy and Daddy."  
  
"We know you do, and you'll see them again. But you need to trust us, ok?" Magneto put his hand out again toward Talia. After a little while, she slowly reached her hand out to him.  
  
Eric smiled. He picked her up into his arms and hugged her. He couldn't believe the news when Mystique had told him of their grandchild, but now, here he was holding her. She was so beautiful, and so small and innocent. He could barely remember the time when his own children were this age, but he was always in and out of their lives. And he had had his daughter admitted when she was only a few years older than Talia. A feeling of remorse came over him. Magneto barley ever regretted anything he did, but leaving Wanda behind at that institution was his only regret. He had lost his daughter through that, and never forgave himself for it. He missed her. As well as his son. But perhaps through Talia he could bring his children back to him. And bring the Brotherhood back as well.  
  
  
  
OK, I was gonna write more in this chapter, but decided to stop here. I dunno about this chapter, I don't know if I'm happy with it. I may change it up or something..we'll just have to see. R&R please!! 


	6. Toad

This chapter is all for Todd Fan. He is all the Toad you desire! I really didn't have any intention of putting him in this fic, he's really one of my least favorite characters (sorry!), but I had to do it for you, cause I just love ya! So, consider this an early Valentines day present!  
  
Also, little side note bout V-Day, Daredevil is coming out..but what does this mean for us diehard X men fans?? Well, I have heard that the X men 2 trailer will be preceding it..YAY!!! So everyone go, just to see our favorite elf kickin butt, even if its only for seconds...  
  
Disclaimer: The eraser may smell like strawberries, but it doesn't taste like strawberries.  
  
Todd Tolinsky watched as everyone prepared themselves to leave. They were all to meet in the hanger, where they would depart to rescue T.J. He had been just as shocked as the rest of them to find that she had gone missing, and he knew that her captors were nothing but bad news. His anger rose as he thought of Magneto and Mystique. They had caused Wanda so much pain. Well, they would pay, he would be sure of it.  
  
His thoughts drifted to those old days with the Brotherhood. They were good times, even though life was much more comfortable at the institute. But back in those days, Wanda was his. Sure, she didn't think so, but at least he had no real competition. It wasn't like there was much competition now, anyway. Wanda was Kurt's, and there was nothing he could do about it. And as much as he hated to see the love of his life with that fuzzy gecko, he was happy for her. She was so happy with him, that Todd could look past all that. He loved her enough to be able to accept them together. And, in actuality, he had grown closer to Wanda than he had ever been. Not the closeness he would have preferred, but still, it was better than nothing.  
  
But just because he accepted them together, didn't mean he had to like Kurt. He still didn't get along with the guy. Well, they never really tried to get along. They just, didn't like each other. It didn't matter that they were now teammates. The tolerated each other enough to work together when needed, but otherwise, they really couldn't stand each other. It had been this way since the Toad had joined the X men. Todd had been one of the last to join. He didn't exactly like the idea of joining. He didn't have the motivation to join that his comrades did. Lance had joined because of Kitty, Wanda and Pietro because of a vendetta against their father. He had just kind of followed Wanda. And of course, continued his pining and flirting. And she continued her ignoring and angry responses. But she started to come out of her shell while there, and just seemed happier. Todd loved it, until he found out the reason for her turn for the better. Kurt. Toad, just like the rest of the inhabitants of the institute, saw this as a passing thing. No way Wanda really had feelings for that weirdo. So Todd continued his advances. That is, until she became pregnant. When he heard that news, his world was shattered. He knew that she would never return his affection now.  
  
But knowing this let him step back and take a look at his "baby cakes". She was barely the same person that he had known when they first met. So much more full of life. Her heart seemed lighter. While he hated Kurt for taking her from him, he was so glad that Kurt had had this effect on her. She was just so much better now than ever. And when Talia was born, well, Todd had never seen Wanda so happy. T.J.'s birth was one of the most amazing things he had ever experienced while living at the mansion, or actually, in his entire life. Suddenly there was this beautiful little baby living there, and this really had an effect on him, as well as all of the X men. He had fallen in love with her immediately. But a different kind of love than what he had for her mother. He loved her like a daughter. He was her "Uncle Toad" as she affectionately called him.  
  
He made his way to the hanger. He looked around as he entered, and saw Wanda and Kurt. They stood in a semi embrace, a mixture of heartache and anger on their faces. Todd had never seen Wanda look so sad. And he hated it. The rest of the X men made their ways in, some going over to the couple, giving them words of encouragement. But it obviously took no effect on them. Toad just stood and observed. Pietro and Rogue had made their way over to their siblings and were offering their strength to the situation. Todd sighed in slight jealousy. He wished he had family like that. But he had his friends, and that was nearly good enough.  
  
The X men had finally all assembled. The stood quietly, awaiting the Professor's instructions. The weight of their mission hung heavily. This was unlike any mission they had gone on before. It was utterly important that everything be done as planned. Magneto was very smart, and could easily slip away from them, with Talia. This was something that they would not allow to happen. They owed it to T.J. and the owed it to Wanda and Kurt not to let that happen.  
  
The Professor then entered the hanger, and the X men listened as the plan was outlined.  
  
  
  
Ok, hope you all enjoyed it! Especially Todd Fan...is it what you expected?? Yes, Toad still hates Kurt. And he still loves Wanda....kinda feel bad for him, eh? Well, I'm sure he'll find love, just maybe not in this story. Remember to review!! 


	7. Rescue

It's way over due, but here's chapter 7!! I'm sorry, this story is killing me.as I've said many a time, I know what's gonna happen, I just don't know how it's gonna happen. I don't even know what this chapter will be. I'm just gonna write and see where it takes me. So here goes *crosses fingers*  
  
I'm using Todd Fan's lovely suggestion, because damn FF.net won't honor my spacing. Oh well, thanx for the idea, TF!!  
  
Disclaimer: "Onion blooms are people!"  
  
~&~  
  
Talia lay in her little bed staring out the window into the night sky. It was starting to get a bit foggy. She hoped there wasn't going to be a storm, storms scared her. And Mommy and Daddy weren't there to protect her. She missed her Mommy and Daddy terribly. But Mr. Magneto and Miss Mystique said that she'd see them again soon. She hoped so. It wasn't that Mr. Magneto and Miss Mystique were mean to her. In fact, they were really nice. They gave her all these dolls and toys to play with and even let her have ice cream for dinner that night. She was still a little frightened. She had had a fun day with them, once she realized that they weren't going to hurt her, but now she wanted to go home. They just didn't know how to tuck her in like her parents did, and she couldn't sleep in this strange room. She sighed and felt tears coming to her eyes again.  
  
"Talia? Are you still awake?" It was Miss Mystique. T.J. turned to face her as she walked over and sat down.  
  
"I can't sleep," she told her.  
  
"Oh, well, why don't you close your eyes?" Mystique offered. She felt stupid even suggesting it. But she didn't know what else to say.  
  
"I did, and it's not working. Daddy always sings me a song when I can't sleep." Talia looked at Mystique with a small plea in her eyes.  
  
"He does? Hmm, well," Mystique thought for a minute. She wasn't much of a music buff, and didn't know what kind of song you'd sing a child to get them to sleep. So she just started singing the first thing that came to mind. "Devil went down to Georgia, he was looking for a soul to steal. He was in a bind because he was way behind---"  
  
"Not that song." Talia stopped her. "A nice song. The one Daddy sings me is in German."  
  
"I don't know any German songs, Talia," Mystique told her. T.J. looked disappointed. She sighed and turned her eyes away from Mystique.  
  
"I wanna go home," she said.  
  
Mystique didn't know what to say at all. She couldn't tell Talia the truth, that she may not see her parents again, but that this was all for the best of mutant kind. She put her hand out and ran her hand through Talia's long indigo hair. She felt her regret coming at her full force. She wished she had been there for Kurt when he was her age. To sing him to sleep when he couldn't, or sooth him after a nightmare. These were things that she had always thought about. And now that there was this child for her to sooth, she found she didn't know what to do at all.  
  
Talia began to whimper a bit. Mystique bit her lip. "Don't cry, Talia." she said. Where was Eric? He was so much better at this parenting stuff than she. Talia's whimpers became louder. Mystique let instinct take over here and pulled Talia into her arms. She cradled the crying child, rocking her back and forth. "Shh, baby girl, don't cry. Everything's going to be ok." Suddenly, she found herself humming. She didn't really know what she was humming, but she just kept to it. Talia began to relax in her arms and after a while had drifted off to sleep.  
  
Mystique carefully lay her back in the bed and tucked her in. Before turning to leave the room, she bent down and gave her a small kiss on the forehead. She shut Talia's door quietly and turned to see Eric standing behind her.  
  
"You have quite a gentler side, Raven. I had no idea." Eric smiled at her.  
  
"I don't expect you to know everything about me. But she is my granddaughter, Eric. What else would you expect of me?"  
  
~&~  
  
The X men all filed out of the Blackbird. They could just see through the fog that Storm had created to conceal their craft. They were in a farming town just outside of Bayville. The Scarlet Witch looked around. She could just make out a small farmhouse ahead of them. That's where they had her baby. The house looked like it had been empty for years. It was partially boarded up, and there was no sign of any life within. It felt so cold there, and she just hoped that her little girl was ok. Nightcrawler put his arm around her and she reciprocated.  
  
"Ok, everybody, let's split up," Cyclops began. "Toad, Shadowcat and Wolfsbane are to go in first. Approach with caution, survey the scene. If all seems ok, and Talia is not in any sort of danger, report back to use with everyone's location. Wave one will be Avalanche, Rogue and Magma. You will approach from the left. Your objective is to--"  
  
"Cyclops, stop," Nightcrawler said. "Enough. While we appreciate your leadership skills, mien fruend, the plan has changed."  
  
"What are you talking about Kurt? We have to stick to the plan. If we don't- -"  
  
"This isn't your fight, Scott." Wanda interrupted him. "We really appreciate the fact that you all want to help and everything."  
  
"This is our battle," Kurt continued where Wanda left off. "We know that you all want to help, but we have to do this on our own."  
  
Scott looked at his friends. He saw the determination in their eyes and knew that any argument he gave would not work. He sighed. "Ok, but we'll be here, just in case."  
  
"Thank you, Scott," Wanda said to him, before she and Kurt departed toward the house.  
  
"Rahne, follow them, make sure everything goes ok," Scott told her. The girl shifted into her wolf form and followed the couple.  
  
~&~  
  
As they approached the house Kurt and Wanda stopped and turned toward each other. "Time we split up, ja?" Kurt asked her. She responded by pulling him down into a kiss. A tear fell down her cheek, and they parted, each going separate ways into the house. Kurt stayed in the shadows, making his way to the side of the house, looking in windows for his daughter. While it was Wanda's job to keep Mystique and Magneto busy. She threw a bolt at the front door and it flew inward. She stepped into the house and looked around. No one. Then she heard something shuffle in the next room. She stepped in, spotting Magneto poised for an attack. Wanda felt her hands charging.  
  
"Hello, Father."  
  
~&~  
  
Oooo..cliffhanger..This chapter was pretty cool..I hope you felt the same...you know how you can let me know what you think?? Review!!! Please do! 


	8. Recovery

Chapter 8!!! Wow, I can't believe how far I've gotten in this story. It's nearly over! Well, not really, there's still much to happen. Anyway, read, enjoy, review.  
  
Disclaimer: "Moisture is the essence of wetness."  
  
~&~  
  
Magneto stared at his daughter before him. She looked so different than he had last seen her. She looked much older, much more mature. She had let her hair grow out, a much more becoming look on her, he thought. She had grown into a very beautiful woman. A beautiful woman who looked ready to kill him right there.  
  
"Wanda, I don't want to fight you.," he told her, hoping she'd calm down.  
  
Wanda released a bolt, and Magneto found he could not move from the spot he was standing. "I don't care what you want, " she informed him as she walked closer. "Where is she?"  
  
"She's safe, Wanda. You know I would never hurt her. She's my granddaughter, after all."  
  
"She is NOT your granddaughter. Do not EVER call her that." Wanda screeched.  
  
"Please, listen to me. I know what I did seemed wrong, but trust me, it's for the best. You are on the wrong side, all of you. There is a war coming, the humans are planning things."  
  
Wanda watched him with a cold stare. She didn't care about any war. "Where IS she?"  
  
"I'm afraid I can't tell you that. Not until you listen to me. You have no idea how hard all this has been on me. Watching you and you're brother leave me like that. I have missed you. And I know you would never believe it, but I've always loved you."  
  
She just about lost it there. She used her power to push Magneto back against the wall. "How dare you say that to me?!" She lifted furniture with her power and began aiming it at her father. "After all you have put me through?! How could you ever say that you loved me?!" She let a chair go directly at him. He ducked his head just in time. "Now, I'm only going to ask one more time. WHERE IS MY DAUGHTER?!"  
  
Magneto shook his head. As strong as his daughter was, he knew he could defeat her. "I'm sorry, Wanda. I didn't want it to come to this. I thought you'd understand." With that, the coils inside the nearby couch shot out and pinned her hands against the wall. More kept coming out, pinning her down. She tried to use her hex bolts against them, but they were coming fast. Magneto just kept them at her, and when he had run out of them, he threw anything else metal in the room at her. She struggled against all of it, and finally was able to move out of the way. But a certain shard had been aimed to land into the wall at her hip. When she moved, it caught her directly in the stomach. She clutched her stomach in pain, feeling the piece of metal cutting deep within her. Magneto stopped in horror. He hadn't meant to hurt her at all.  
  
She staggered forward and Magneto jumped to his feet and ran to her aid. He caught her as she fell, and held her in his arms. "I'm sorry," he said. Tears began to spill out of his eyes. "God, I'm so sorry."  
  
~&~  
  
Kurt peered into the first window. She wasn't in there. So he moved on to the next one. There he saw the most wonderful thing he had ever seen in his life. His little angel, sound asleep under the window. He moved his hands up and tried to pry the window open. No luck. He'd just port in, then. With a 'bamf' he was standing beside his daughter. He had never been so happy to see anyone in his life. He bent down and carefully took her into his arms.  
  
Talia stirred a bit and opened her eyes slightly. "Daddy?"  
  
"Shh, baby, I'm here," he soothed. "Go back to sleep, we'll be home soon."  
  
He was about to teleport out, when he heard the commotion in the other room. Things didn't sound very good. So he put his daughter down on the bed again. "I'll be right back, liebechen. Stay right here, ok?"  
  
"Ok," T.J. said with a yawn. Kurt gave her a kiss on the forehead and walked toward the door. He yanked it open, and walked out into the hall. He was about to turn a corner, when he heard a voice behind him.  
  
"Where do we think we're going?" He turned to see Mystique standing behind him.  
  
He immediately lunged at her, but she moved too quickly and he hit a wall. He fell to the ground and looked up at her. A growl escaped his throat and he ran at her again. And again, she dodged him.  
  
"You may find it in your interest to listen to us, Kurt," she told him.  
  
"You took my daughter," he said with utter hatred in her eyes. "I'll listen to nothing." This time he jumped at her and caught his arm around her neck. She tried to flip him over her, but he was too strong for her. She was shocked at the strength he had now. He threw her against a wall, and she fell to the ground. He picked her up and flung her again. She sat on the floor where she landed. She tried to get up, but Kurt was on top of her in a second. He looked her straight in the eyes and said "I should kill you right now."  
  
"You'd kill your own mother?" she said to him, hoping to get the upper hand. But it didn't seem to phase him. If anything, it made him more angry. But he backed away from her.  
  
"You are not my mother," he told her quietly. "And I believe it may be in YOUR best interest to stay away from me and my family." With that, he turned away from her, and walked back toward where his daughter was sleeping. Raven tried to get up and stop him, but she couldn't.  
  
"Kurt, wait!" she called, but he didn't listen. She wanted to talk to him, to tell him everything she had been holding inside her for so long. She knew that she hadn't done the right thing in taking Talia, and she was sorry. She really loved him, and she loved her granddaughter, and she wanted to start anew. She wanted more than anything to be a part of their lives. But he didn't come back to her. And Raven was too much of a coward to go after him.  
  
Kurt entered the room looking for his daughter. She wasn't in the bed, where he had left her. He looked around in the dark room. While he had better vision than normal in the dark, his daughter shared his talent in blending into shadows. But a whimper from under the bed alerted him to her whereabouts. "Talia, baby, come on out of there." He kneeled down and reached out to her.  
  
She came out from under the bed and Kurt picked her up. He carried her out of the room, and past Raven, who was slumped on the floor, crying. "What's the matter with Miss Mystique?" Talia asked him.  
  
"Don't worry about her," he said. "We're going home now, ok? You want to go home?"  
  
Talia nodded then buried her head in her father's chest. Kurt hugged her close as he ported her out of the house. His 'port landed them right in the midst of the waiting X men. She shifted in his arms, apparently trying to go back to sleep.  
  
"Here, I'll take her, Kurt," Ororo came up to him and took her from his arms. "Hank is waiting in the jet to give her a once over." She and Talia disappeared into the Blackbird.  
  
Kurt scanned the other X men, almost content to just get the hell out of there. "Where's Wanda?"  
  
"She hasn't come out yet," Kitty told him. Suddenly, Rahne appeared.  
  
"Wanda's been injured," she told them.  
  
Without thinking, Kurt immediately 'ported back into the house. The other X men followed, but were stopped when they noticed something looming over the trees. A gigantic humanoid robot glared down at the group.  
  
~&~  
  
Hmmm.me and these cliffhangers..I dunno about this chapter again. Not loving it. I dunno, what'do ya think?? Lemme know, you know I love reviews!! 


	9. HELP!

OK, I need help. I just slightly edited the last chapter, and have the next chapter nearly written, but I am looking to all of you for help. There are some serious flaws in this story, I can feel that. I just cannot see what they are. I need some constructive criticism, what do you like, but more importantly, what bothers you? I mean, I know what's going to happen next in the story, and I know how its going to end, but I can't seem to write it correctly. This whole damn story is just depressing me right now, because it sux so bad....so, please help! 


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